As 2014 comes to an end, we’re once again asking leading figures on the Colorado beer scene to reflect on the past year and look ahead to next. This next installment in our 4th annual Beer In Review features Ryan Scott, founder of Odd 13 Brewing in Lafayette. The brewery opened in August 2013 and has expanded twice since then, adding a 20 barrel fermenter each time. Additionally Scott and crew added a canning line from Wild Goose in Boulder and is dabbling in a sour program with head brewer, Brandon Boldt.

Here are Ryan’s comments:

Favorite beer of the year: The beer I’ve probably had the most of this year is Go To IPA from Stone Brewing. It’s crazy flavorful without being overwhelming, and you can drink a ton of it because it’s well under 5 percent. Next is Stateside Saison from Stillwater Artisanal Ales. It’s a crazy good beer. Saisons with new world hops are a big passion of mine, and this one hits it out of the park. Last (and also the least obtainable) is Optuntia from Avery Brewing. It’s an amazing tequila barrel sour that tastes like the beer geek equivalent of a Jolly Rancher. It’s possibly the best beer I’ve had from Avery’s barrel series.

Colorado brewery of the year: The winner is a tie between Funkwerks and Trinity Brewing. Funkwerks does some amazing, consistent rustic beers. Trinity seems to distribute a broader variety, with even more experimentation. The “sour IPA” they released recently was killer.

Colorado brewery to watch in 2015:Finkel and Garf is going to have a big 2015. While F&G brews styles that are different from what we would choose to brew, Mychal’s execution of those styles is extremely solid. They have the funding to get out there in a big way and I think that’s what’s going to happen soon. My other pick is Avery. Their year round beers are great, and their barrel beers are even better. The new facility they are building should give them the capacity to do even more.

Most notable craft beer news or trend of 2014: Session IPAs went from the fringe of mainstream to explosive in 2014 — Go To from Stone, Rudie from Ska Brewing, Pinner from Oskar Blues and Happening Now from Cigar City Brewing. All began mass distribution this year. Smaller breweries got in on the act to with beers like Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster from Big Choice. I love beer, and I love beers with big flavor. The quandary is many big flavor beers are higher in alcohol and prevent you from having as many. Session IPA is the answer. Second: It seems like no one made a gose before 2014 but now several progressive breweries make them. “Authentic” gose features salt and coriander. Many of the examples I had this year were a little overdone on the salt. This is a beer style that has promise, but it has a way to go before it’s ready for prime time.
Craft beer trend to watch for in 2015: Consolidation and acquisition will accelerate in 2015. Additionally, I believe a trend of closures will begin this year. While expansion will continue, more saturated markets might see some breweries struggling. More successful breweries will face increasingly juicy offers to sell. In three to four years, I believe a portion of the bottom tier of brewers will be gone, a portion of the upper tier of breweries will no longer be independent, and a number of breweries will be in limbo. Second, brewers will continue to experiment with mixed culture fermentations. Fermentations involving multiple strains of brewer’s yeast, brett, lacto, and other microorganisms like sake yeast will become commonplace. The pressure on breweries to differentiate themselves is increasing, and mixed culture fermentations are one way to do that.

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!